Marvel will be stepping into a “Brave New World” with this upcoming film.
Related: First Look at Disney’s New ‘Captain America’ Movie Revealed
Avengers: Endgame (2019) marked the exit of several major Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) Avengers, including Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man/Tony Stark, who sacrificed himself for the greater good, and Chris Evans’ Captain America/Steve Rogers, who retired and handed his iconic Vibranium shield to Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson/Falcon.
The upcoming Captain America film appears to pick up where the 2021 Disney+ series Falcon and the Winter Soldier left off, with Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) on a path to healing from his HYDRA past, and Sam Wilson fully embracing his role as Captain America.
A Whole New Captain America
Related: Goodbye ‘Loki’: Man Behind Marvel Icon Exits MCU, Bids Farewell to Disney
Seeing as the new Cap will both redefine and continue the “Captain America” mantle, it’s clear that this new Cap movie (and its presumed sequels or follow-ups) will undergo a bit of a change “under new management”.
Sam Wilson, the all-human and now-former Falcon stepping into Steve Rogers’ super soldier serum-ed shoes, the scope of the film might have to similarly shift — at least for now, as the character is getting established.
Now, according to a known anonymous source, insider My Time To Shine Hello is coming forward with some news that may disappoint fans of the Doctor Strange franchise, the more interwoven Marvel story, and the Multiverse Saga as a whole.
Despite previously reporting that Benedict Wong’s Wong (the current Sorcerer Supreme over Benedict Cumberbatch’s Stephen Strange/Doctor Strange) join in on the action in Brave New World, it seems as if Marvel is deciding against having Wong star in the show, and cutting out one of the last remaining Avengers from the storyline.
Taking to X/Twitter, the inside source quoted their own post from before, and confirmed that Disney would allegedly be pulling Wong from the new Captain America film, debunking the earlier scoop also corroborated by Atlanta Filming, a paparazzo based in Atlanta where many projects are being filmed:
Well I looked into it and no Wong in Captain America: Brave New World 🙁
(quoted) Wong returns in CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD
(via @AtlantaFilming)
Well I looked into it and no Wong in Captain America: Brave New World 🙁 https://t.co/FQ8gXTD2fq
— MyTimeToShineHello (@MyTimeToShineH) June 10, 2024
The shift away from referencing Wong seems like a deliberate move on Disney and Marvel’s part to pull back on the interconnectedness of Marvel projects as of late. There has been a push to keep movies separate coming from Disney, who feel that fans are getting “fatigue” being expected to watch every single Marvel project, whether on the big screen or the small on streamer Disney+.
The upcoming movie is set to redefine the Captain America saga, steering away from Evans’ Steve Rogers and his World War II-era “fish out of water” storyline, and continuing the series in a fresh direction.
In this new Captain America film, Marvel Studios appears poised to reintroduce some nostalgic elements into the mainline MCU, beginning with 2008’s Incredible Hulk — the official first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Despite original Hulk/Bruce Banner actor Edward Norton being swiftly replaced by Mark Ruffalo in 2012’s The Avengers due to reportedly bad behavior, these classic Marvel properties are finally making a comeback.
With this marked shift into bringing back nostalgia for movies made nearly two decades ago now, and less of an emphasis on the “new generation” of Marvel heroes, it seems that each Marvel movie (and Marvel Television property) will now attempt to stand more clearly on their own merits, rather than in the shoes of the established Avengers IP, and the greater Marvel universe.
What do you think about this change in the new Captain America 4? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
More on Captain America: Brave New World
In Captain America: Brave New World, Tim Blake Nelson reprises his role as Samuel Sterns, also known as the Leader, a cellular biologist who gains superhuman intelligence after exposure to Bruce Banner’s gamma-irradiated blood. Harrison Ford steps into the role of Thaddeus Ross, now President Ross of the United States (and potentially the Red Hulk), succeeding the late William Hurt. Liv Tyler returns as Betty Ross, a cellular biologist and Banner’s former girlfriend.
Although Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier, is a staple of classic Captain America films, he is absent from the cast list, with his storyline being redirected to the upcoming Thunderbolts* movie. Mackie’s Wilson will star in brand-new Captain America garb, alongside the new Falcon, Joaquin Torres, a U.S. Air Force lieutenant introduced in Falcon and the Winter Soldier, played by Danny Ramirez.
Also included in the cast are Carl Lumbly as Isaiah Bradley, Shira Haas as Ruth/Sabra, Xosha Roquemore, Seth Rollins, Rosa Salazar, and Giancarlo Esposito (not as the MCU’s new Professor X, however) in currently undisclosed roles.
Under the leadership of Kevin Feige, Marvel Studios is increasingly focusing on Hulk-related narratives, with projects like the 2022 Disney+ series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and various Incredible Hulk storylines in Cap 4. This focus makes the possibility of a World War Hulk solo movie more promising than ever.
